A game of skill and chance, poker requires you to make quick, tough decisions. In order to win, you need to be able to stick to your plan and not get derailed by bad luck or your own ego at the table. To do this, you should only play with money you are comfortable losing. You also need to learn how to mentally accept defeat. This is a crucial part of the game that is often overlooked.

To start a hand, players must place the ante (a small amount of money placed in front of each player) and then say “call” to put up the same amount as the last person or “raise” to add more money to the pot. After everyone has called or raised, the dealer will deal out the starting hands and the betting will begin.

Once the flop is dealt, you must decide whether to keep your strong holdings or fold them. Top players know that it is important to fast-play their strong hands in order to build the pot and potentially chase off opponents who are waiting for a turn or river card to improve their holdings.

One of the most important parts of this process is understanding your opponent’s ranges. A newer player will simply try to put their opponent on a specific hand. However, experienced players will work out the full selection of possible cards their opponent could have and then work out how likely it is that they will have a good hand against yours.